System of distributing electric energy.



I. J. REUTER L P. P. MGDERMOTT, JR. SYSTEM 0F DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC ENERGY.

APPLICATION FILED APRA, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

UNITED .sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

IRVING Cl'. REUTER ANI) FRANKLIN P. M

ASSIGNORS T0 REMY ELECTRIC COMPANY, l02|? ANDERSON,

TION.

CDERMOTT, JR., OF'ANDERSON, INDIANA,

INDIANA, A ooRPoRA- SYSTEM 0F DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC ENERGY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

l Paten-ted J une 10, 1913.

Application led April 4, 1912. 4Serial No. 688,529.

TQ-a'ZZ whom t may concern iBe it known that we, IRVING J. REUTER and FRANKLIN P. McDEnMoTT, J r., citizens of the United States, and residents of Anderson, county of Madison, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain useful System of Distributing Electric Energy; and we do hereby declare `that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had -to the accompanying drawings.

The object -of this invention is to provide a system o f supplying to a current consuming means or device electric energy in suhstantially equal amounts in each direction and from a plurality of sources an equal number of times, or in succession, one source of such energy being turned off at the time another is turned on. Hence, the amount of electric energy passing through the current consuming device in each direction will always be equal, whether there be -a plurality of sources of electric energy or not.

To that end any switch, or the like, may be employed ybetween the source or sources of electric energy in the current consuming device, if its construction is such that when actuated it will reverse the current and cause substantially equal amounts of electricity to pass "through the current consuming device before each reversal. Also, when a plurality of sources of current is employed, when the switch is disconnected from one source, it cannot be connected with that source of current until it has been connected with the other source or sources of current successively, and disconnects one source of current before connect-ing another source of current with the current consuming device.

vWith this sort of switch it is observed that consuming device, and substantially equal amounts of current may pass through the current consuming device in each direction.

The nat-ure of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

.ery of the segmental extensions o In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central peripheral section of the switch mechanism. lFig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the switch. lFig. 4 is a diagram of the connections. y The invention is brought out ,particularly 1n Fig. l. There 'are two sets of batteries 10 and l11 shown to represent a plurality of sources of electric energy, butthe number of batteries may be increased, or a plurality of some other sort of source of electric energy be used instead of batteries. The current .consuming device herein shown is an ignition system, the primary Winding 12 of the induction coil of which is connected with both batteries 10 and 11 by the lines 13 and 14. In this line there is a circuit breaker 15 and condenser 16. The secondary winding 17 1s connected by the line 18 to ground and also with Athe spark plug 19 'by a line 20'.

' 1`his shows an ignition system, although the lnventlon is not limited to any particular sort of current consuming device. The ,primarywinding 12 of the ignition system is connected with the other poles of the two batteries by a line 21 running toa switch 22 and therefrom. through lines ,23 and 24. The switch alternately connects said :batteries with said primary winding and turns one off before turning the other on alternately and successively, and it cannot turn on the same battery twice in succession, 'and the current consuming device, therefore, draws equally from lthe two batteries, that is, dur- 'ing any period of operation it is connected with the two batteries an equal number of times. The detail of the switch herein shown will now be explained. It is rovided with a casing 25 and within the caslng there is the switch disk 22 secured on a shaft 26 which is mounted centrally in the casing,

and one end extends outside the casing and.

carries a finger piece 27 whereby the switch 1s turned hand in the direction indicated by the arrow. Withinthe casing 25 there is also a metal plate 30 secured for mounting the shaft 26, and the switch disk 22 is a disk with four projecting segments, each constituting ninety degrees or one-fourth of the circumference of the disk, and the notches between the segments show that the switch can not turn backward because of the spring contacts 31, which press against the periphthe switch. Saidsprings are secured to'bloclis $4,.- to which-thc lines 23 nndlQL are'con-- jtween'thefignition systei'n'4 and one of the bat-' 'teries`, and. When-the other spring contact subsequently engages the: plate 35,' the-.igi-- vtion system' is-c'onnec'ted With the other bat-f tery`." Theiiefor`c, d'ur'ingone-fourth -of the revolution l ofj 'the switch, 'the ignition' system` is connected? with one battery. 4,During the next fourth of. -the revolution ofthe [switch theignitionsystem of tlie switch is connect# Aect-'with neither. battery; durin'g `the *next tou-rth with the. other-jbattery, and during.- -tliei'last' fourth ofthe revolutiorngit is con-4 nected with neither battery. lhefsprings-Sl prevent fthe--A backward fmoytnnent..-v of 'thev switch,.henc`e the-switch'canbe moved only` in one d i-rection,' th e forwarddirection: The' operator 1n-ever .has to 'thinlg of the direction in which 4he"`h a 's to -move the switch, because it is movable-'.-in-only V one direction"and,4 when rhefmovesthe switch, it willbring the current A,consuming ,device into v'.'connection lwith the-battery' with whichit wasnotlast connected.'- In other"words', it `enforces an alternateuse'. olfthe batteriesand divides the drain; 'or'bu-rden upon'fthe batteries be tween theftwobatteries, and this result is a1`1tomatic,'that'is,git necessarily results from the operation of the switch.. Hence the bat` .teries orlffsoiirces of electrical energy are utilized anfequa'l ,number of times.

Thein'vention is not limited to any particular; switch, Athe one which is here shown being only .one 'which might be used. But

the switch must'be such that it can not movey backwardly or moyed to connect the current-'consl'lmmg devlce with any one of the sources of electric energy a greater number of-...times 4than withvthe other source of elec- .tric energy.

Referring )again to the battery connec- Ations, it will be seen that the positive pole of one "set of batteries and the negative pole olf the' V'other set are connected to one terminal ofrtheunduction coil through the lines 13 and 14a The other terminal of said primary .oil'm'ay be connected to the -other pole dit' either battery through thc switch 22. Thus the direction ofthe flow' of current is re- -tion theswitch 22.

versed v. with vea ch successive battery connec- Ithas been-,found 'practice' that the life of the circuit breaker"Contact points ismaterially llengthened by' reversing the dir-eo, tion of the'fl'ow of' currentracross them,'-'and 'current whether l1t lsdesired'to have said currenl. consimnngfmeans in. operation for not and 2. yAL source :of 'electric energy,. .a"currentconsuming means, anda switch for fstarting` and 4stopping--the :,f1 ow of' current through said Icurrent consuming meansaccording to whether. it is. desired. ito' 1 have "said current :when thc-'switch is continuously opcl'ated-,- substantiallyequal :n'noun'ts otfelcctricity- 'pass tln-ongh the cur-rent consuming? device 'lncacl' direction.

Iwo-claimas our invention? l. A source .of ol'cctrlcenergy,A consuming .moans cflccilfl'i-:all-y.- comici-tort stopping 'the flow otfmrrcnt tln'onglrsait-l consln'mng moans according lto arranged to reverse the direction of current through the current; consuming means each at. the current 1s" 'started-1by sald consuming means inf operationor. not, said switch belngconne'cted with'the` positive and- ';negative poles-ofthe .source 44of elect-ric en.-4 ergy andai-ranged for starting the flow-1 of' a." current.

current through said current consuming means in diii'erent dire/tions asubstantially equal number of times.-

3. A source of 'electric energy, a current.-

consuming means, and. a switch forfstarting and stopping the new' of current through'- said current consuming means, said switch having a plurality of positive'conne'ctions tric energy with the current consuming means until it has been connected with the other sou'rces'or sources of electric energy.

5. A pluralityof soulCes of electric'energy, a current consuming means, the posh tive pole of one of said sources of electric. energy and the negative pole of another source ofelectric energy -being connected to' one terminal of lsaid current consumingmeans, a switch connected .wlth the other.`

terminal of the. current consuming 'means and adapted to electrical'lyconnect said lastmentionedterminal ofthe current consum'- ing means with the other terminals of said sources of electric energy, andmeans for preventing the switch from connectingthe cur.n

rent consuming means with -one`r Source oi electric energy until it has connected itwithy the other'sources of electricity in succession. 6.- A plurality otsourcesfof electricenergy, a current consuming means .thc positive pole of one of said sources of electric energy and lthe negative pole of another lsource of electric energy being connected to one terminal of said current consuming means, a switch connected with the other terminal of said current consuming means and adapted toA connect the same successively with the other terminals of said sources of electric energy, said switeh'having in each cycle of movement thereof one on position for each source of electric lenergy and an intermediate off position between each two on positions, and means for preventing backward movement of the switch between any two on positions.

In Witness whereof, we have hereunto affixed our signatures in the presence of the I witnessesherein named.

Witnesses:

'ALTER E. MIZE, RANDALL I. VAN WINKLE. 

